The Impact of Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility on Purchase Intention: Mediating Role of Brand Attitude and Moderating Role of Generation X & Y

This study, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Generation Cohort Theory, attempts to examine the degree of relationship between Perceived corporate social responsibility and Purchase intention, the mediating role of Brand attitude, and the moderating effect of Generation X and Y on the relationship between Perceived corporate social responsibility and Purchase intention. The study was carried out on quantitative techniques and followed the deductive approach. The data was collected through a structured questionnaire. Stratified Random Sampling was used to gather data, and the final sample consisted of 392 individual consumers. The data was analyzed using the SPSS and Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approaches using Smart PLS 3.0. It was found that Perceived corporate social responsibility related significantly to Purchase intention. Moreover, the relationships between Perceived corporate social responsibility and Brand attitude and Brand Attitude and Purchase Intention were significant. Therefore, Brand attitude was found to be a partial mediator and Generation X and Y to be significant moderators of the aforementioned relationship. There were a few limitations in this study which can be examined by future research. One limitation is that the findings of the research was based on one province consisting three districts. Another limitation of this study is that the qualitative and quantitative approaches of this study could have been integrated to yield the mixed method approach through which the findings could have been further clarified, thus enhancing the parameters of the findings. This is the first study empirically investigate of perceived corporate social responsibility on purchase intention: mediating role of brand attitude and moderating role of generation x & y in the Asian context. And also, important for Marketers in Sri Lanka in deciding their marketing strategies catering to different CSR implementation and purchasing patterns in between the genders.